Help! Vienna Vibes and Feel? TOV?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The strip malls are hideous, and that's what your guests are going to remember when they drive to your house.

OP, rethink McLean - your return on investment will be much greater there.

Not as bad as the hideously ugly section of Rt 7 west of Skyline and Bailey’s, or the ugly strip plazas and malls in Centreville, Annandale, Springfield, etc. So I get why some posts here say the strip malls on Maple are a step above the more typically ugly ones. For example, all the strip malls in Vienna are mandated to have brown signs and a brown appearance. The town decades ago picked brown since it is a color that never goes out of fashion and it blends in, i.e., doesn’t stand out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would never buy a property there that does not have any other ingress/egress other than Maple Ave. Maple can be very congested during rush hours. Also the ugly strip malls on either side of Maple is not where I would like to shop. OP you need to reevaluate your prejudice against McLean. Your kids will, most likely, wind up in privste anyhow. And McLean is close yo the American Legion Bridge which leads you to the good privates in Bethesda.

OP said they want public and Madison specifically because it is more low key than the competitive McLean schools.

The strip malls may be ugly, or not that attractive, but there is a small quaint village feel near the old W&OD train station and also the historic Vienna Elementary School.

The world famous Carnegie also moved into town to the delight of all the foodies. There are also three or so trendy specialty coffee shops for the coffee buffs and foodies.

Madison is not more low key than the McLean schools. It’s just that more of the intensity is focused on athletics.

And don’t confuse the Carnegie Diner with the world-famous Carnegie Deli in NYC, which closed almost a decade ago.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Vienna is the best!!!

I’m not sure about that but now that mine are teens, I don’t regret moving here (most days). It’s safe. They had a good childhood. They enjoyed the town and still do.

But the competition is intense. Surprisingly, not so much with academics. My kids never felt that high pressure to keep up. But with EVERYTHING else. You can try to opt out but you don’t know how your kids will be affected. Mine were and are very involved in sports and we have spent more thousands than I ever care to add up before they even got to HS. We didn’t need to but we did.

Kids here have a lot and yours will see that. Not everyone is like that but will your child get hyper focused on elite sports, new cars, theater… it’s hard to step away from the intensity of this area.

We often regret moving here because it’s not normal and nothing like our upbringing but it’s their normal and all they know. And they did have a safe and mostly happy childhood in the town.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Vienna is the best!!!

I’m not sure about that but now that mine are teens, I don’t regret moving here (most days). It’s safe. They had a good childhood. They enjoyed the town and still do.

But the competition is intense. Surprisingly, not so much with academics. My kids never felt that high pressure to keep up. But with EVERYTHING else. You can try to opt out but you don’t know how your kids will be affected. Mine were and are very involved in sports and we have spent more thousands than I ever care to add up before they even got to HS. We didn’t need to but we did.

Kids here have a lot and yours will see that. Not everyone is like that but will your child get hyper focused on elite sports, new cars, theater… it’s hard to step away from the intensity of this area.

We often regret moving here because it’s not normal and nothing like our upbringing but it’s their normal and all they know. And they did have a safe and mostly happy childhood in the town.

Sure, but how is this different than the many other wealthy areas around... McLean, Great Falls, Arlington, etc. Kids have a lot in all of these places and the feeling of keeping up would be the same.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Vienna is the best!!!

I’m not sure about that but now that mine are teens, I don’t regret moving here (most days). It’s safe. They had a good childhood. They enjoyed the town and still do.

But the competition is intense. Surprisingly, not so much with academics. My kids never felt that high pressure to keep up. But with EVERYTHING else. You can try to opt out but you don’t know how your kids will be affected. Mine were and are very involved in sports and we have spent more thousands than I ever care to add up before they even got to HS. We didn’t need to but we did.

Kids here have a lot and yours will see that. Not everyone is like that but will your child get hyper focused on elite sports, new cars, theater… it’s hard to step away from the intensity of this area.

We often regret moving here because it’s not normal and nothing like our upbringing but it’s their normal and all they know. And they did have a safe and mostly happy childhood in the town.

Sure, but how is this different than the many other wealthy areas around... McLean, Great Falls, Arlington, etc. Kids have a lot in all of these places and the feeling of keeping up would be the same.

Vienna is more "keeping up with the Jones" because it's well-off but not really wealthy, so people aren't quite as secure with their station in life. It lends itself to a lot of uber-competitive parenting. You don't get that in some wealthier areas because it's just assumed that if you can afford those areas you must belong there.

Again, the Vienna moms will deny this, but we've lived in Vienna and enough other places to notice the difference.

[Anonymous]

There is a large area of Vienna that lives in condos and apartments or old single family housing. It's not all uber wealthy.